Gas turbine engines operate to produce mechanical work or thrust. Specifically, land-based gas turbine engines typically have a generator coupled thereto for the purposes of generating electricity. There are a number of issues that affect the overall performance and durability of the engine components, especially the combustion section. By nature, the combustion process creates varying pressure oscillations and dynamics that can result in significant wear to the combustion hardware. Specifically, the pressure oscillations can cause mating hardware to vibrate and move relative to one another. Excessive combustion dynamics can cause premature wear of mating hardware such that the hardware must be repaired or replaced.
Gas turbine combustors can have multiple fuel circuits, depending on the quantity and location of the fuel nozzles as well as combustor operating conditions. These fuel circuits and the fuel nozzles that are in fluid communication with the fuel circuits can operate at different times and at different flow rates. Since the fuel nozzles are positioned in close proximity to a flamefront in the combustor, the fuel nozzles are exposed to extremely high temperatures. However, the fuel nozzles carry a fuel having a temperature significantly less than the operating environment, and as a result, the fuel nozzle experiences significant variations in temperature.